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Our City Richmond

By Florence Gordon

Published 12:37 PDT, Fri August 30, 2024

Good to know

Building our Social Future – Updating the Social Development Strategy

The City of Richmond is currently updating its Social Development Strategy which will build on the progress made by the 2013–2022 Social Development Strategy and continue to guide the City’s approach to addressing the social needs of Richmond’s diverse population over the next 10 years.

On Apr 11, 2023, council approved the following guiding principles, which will guide the different phases of the Strategy’s development.

Community Social Development

The Community Social Development (CSD) Department develops social policies, strategies, actions plans, facilities and services to increase social equity in Richmond. The city’s Social Development Strategy defines social equity as “Ensuring that all segments of the population have equal opportunity and that their needs are recognized and addressed in a fair manner.” Social equity ensures that basic needs (e.g. food, clothing, housing, income), social supports (e.g. education, health care, child care) and community services (e.g. parks, recreation, arts & culture, social services) are available to and accessible by all citizens, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, income or ability. An equitable society is an inclusive one; participation by all residents is welcomed, encouraged and facilitated.

Social equity is a cornerstone of a sustainable community; the city’s Sustainability Policy defines social sustainability as “basic needs are met, wealth and resources are distributed justly, equitable opportunities exist for social enrichment at the individual and community level and resiliency exists to address challenges.”

Examples of the work undertaken by the CSD Department includes: facilitating the development of affordable housing and child care facilities; supporting community social services; planning for an increasingly diverse community, an aging population, youth and those with disabilities; providing recreation fee subsidies to low-income residents; and conducting research to better understand needs of community members.

A few examples of city departments contributing to social equity in Richmond include Arts & Culture, by providing low or no-cost art activities; Recreation & Sport by providing low or no-cost recreation and sport activities; Parks by providing parks throughout the city as well as community garden plots; Planning and Development by negotiating the provision of affordable housing and child care in new developments; and Engineering and Public Works by overseeing the construction and maintenance of recreation, sport, arts and cultural facilities.

Important links

For further information about social equity initiatives undertaken by the City of Richmond:

Accessibility: richmond.ca/culture/social/accessibility.htm

Affordable Housing: richmond.ca/culture/social/affordable-housing.htm

Child Care: richmond.ca/culture/social/child-care.htm

City Grant Programs: richmond.ca/culture/citygrant.htm

Inclusion: richmond.ca/culture/social/inclusion.htm

Homelessness: richmond.ca/culture/social/homelessness/hlstrategy.htm

Seniors: richmond.ca/culture/social/seniors/about.htm

Youth Planning: richmond.ca/culture/social/youth.htm

Work with Community: richmond.ca/culture/social/csdev/workwithcommunity.htm

Newcomers Information: richmond.ca/culture/social/inclusion/newcomersguide.htm